51
51
Jul 1, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 51
favorite 0
quote 0
[applause] i ran for president because i believe we need to refocus our energy in afghanistan to go after al qaeda. we are going after al qaeda. we have taken out their leadership. because of our progress and the extraordinary sacrifice up our troops, we are propelling the commitment i made at the start to reduce our troops starting this month so that afghans can start taking responsibility for their own security and we can start rebuilding right here at home. [applause] it is time to start rebuilding here at home. it is time for nation-building right here. we live in a world where america is facing stiff competition for good jobs from rapidly growing nations like china, india, and brazil. for a long time, we were told that the best way to win that competition was to undermine consumer protection, undermine clean air and clean water laws, hand out tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. that was the idea that helped for close to a decade. -- held sway or close to a decade. it did not work out very well. if you look at our history, it has never worked out real well. -- very well. amer
[applause] i ran for president because i believe we need to refocus our energy in afghanistan to go after al qaeda. we are going after al qaeda. we have taken out their leadership. because of our progress and the extraordinary sacrifice up our troops, we are propelling the commitment i made at the start to reduce our troops starting this month so that afghans can start taking responsibility for their own security and we can start rebuilding right here at home. [applause] it is time to start...
88
88
Jul 6, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 88
favorite 0
quote 0
good morning to those here, good evening in afghanistan. i'd like to welcome pack to the pentagon briefing room, army lieutenant general david rodriguez. he's commander of the international security assistance force joint command, also known as i.j.c. and also the deputy commander of the united states forces afghanistan. general rodriguez's current tour began in june, 2009, he became the first commander of the i.j.c. in october of that year. prior to that, general rodriguez was commander of regional command east for 15 months from january, 2007 to april, 2008. next week after two straight years in command and more than 40 months in after gap stan over the past 4 1/2 year, general rodriguez is ski wruled to change command and return stateside to have u.s. army forces command. the general most recently joined us here in person last february and we're very grate to feel see him this morning via satellite for an update on operations before he changes command. with that, general, i'll return it to you. >> good morning, dave. thank you for that i
good morning to those here, good evening in afghanistan. i'd like to welcome pack to the pentagon briefing room, army lieutenant general david rodriguez. he's commander of the international security assistance force joint command, also known as i.j.c. and also the deputy commander of the united states forces afghanistan. general rodriguez's current tour began in june, 2009, he became the first commander of the i.j.c. in october of that year. prior to that, general rodriguez was commander of...
150
150
Jul 11, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 150
favorite 0
quote 0
one out of every six department of defense dollars is going to afghanistan. we got the taliban out of power. karzai stood for free elections in 2004. al qaeda was dismantled and sent into western pakistan. this is not a nation-building exercise. this is a counter-terror exercise. we do not need 100,000 troops on the ground of the cost we're paying today in order to get the job done. [applause] thank you. i am here to tell you the future of the united states is not going to be determined in the prairies of afghanistan. the future of the united states is going to be determined by how well-prepared we are to compete in a highly competitive 21st century. that battle will be waged across the pacific ocean. we have some work to do. as you walk out of this building, i want you to remember why we're in this race. it is because it is about the generation and we're about to pass the country to and the condition in which they will find it. my priorities will be debt and spending. we have no choice. trajectory we're on is unsustainable. launching a new industrial revolut
one out of every six department of defense dollars is going to afghanistan. we got the taliban out of power. karzai stood for free elections in 2004. al qaeda was dismantled and sent into western pakistan. this is not a nation-building exercise. this is a counter-terror exercise. we do not need 100,000 troops on the ground of the cost we're paying today in order to get the job done. [applause] thank you. i am here to tell you the future of the united states is not going to be determined in the...
159
159
Jul 1, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 159
favorite 0
quote 0
government would then afghanistan. -- within afghanistan. they are overseen eventually by the undersecretary for defense. >> i want to know who was in charge of the plan. so when you decide we're going to spend $500 million, $400 million -- i guess that is another question. how much is $17 billion, much of it will come from defense and, to that will come from state? >> i can speak for u.s. aid. i believe the request for u.s. aid assistance is around the $3 billion level. >> the president is asking for $17 billion in 2012 for reconstruction. does anybody here know how much of that is going to be under control of the defense department and a much is going to be under control of the state department? >> again, i can say $3 billion from u.s. aid, and possibly another $1 billion from the state department. but i cannot speak to the rest. >> is that from the defense department, mr. sedney? >> the department of defense budget and the subcommittee has funding for operations in afghanistan which include funding for the afghan security forces. about $1
government would then afghanistan. -- within afghanistan. they are overseen eventually by the undersecretary for defense. >> i want to know who was in charge of the plan. so when you decide we're going to spend $500 million, $400 million -- i guess that is another question. how much is $17 billion, much of it will come from defense and, to that will come from state? >> i can speak for u.s. aid. i believe the request for u.s. aid assistance is around the $3 billion level. >>...
102
102
Jul 6, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 102
favorite 0
quote 0
i just returned from a trip to afghanistan. i cannot describe how impressed i am with the commitment, the dedication and the work carried out every single day by our men and women in uniform and those in the civilian services. i met and spoke with them in kabul, bases and air force bases and small villages. quite simply, they are incredible. but over and over and over again, i heard the same message, this is not sustainable. the strategy that we are pursuing in afghanistan is not sustainable and it is costing us too much in human lives and financial resources to continue. it can't continue for another 18 months as called for by the president, let alone even longer. i stand here tonight more convinced than ever that it is time to forge a new path, a new strategy, built upon past and present accomplishments and more aggressively focused on reducing the military footprint in afghanistan than the plan described by the president last month, accelerating the transition of combat operations and intense international and regional effor
i just returned from a trip to afghanistan. i cannot describe how impressed i am with the commitment, the dedication and the work carried out every single day by our men and women in uniform and those in the civilian services. i met and spoke with them in kabul, bases and air force bases and small villages. quite simply, they are incredible. but over and over and over again, i heard the same message, this is not sustainable. the strategy that we are pursuing in afghanistan is not sustainable...
90
90
Jul 21, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 90
favorite 0
quote 0
attack in afghanistan. as we grieve the lots of one of our finest citizens and share the grief with his family, we marvel that such heros have lived among us. he gave up everything to protect his neighbors and extend the blessings of freedom to those who have never known it. he was proud to serve his country. in honor of him, we need to thank our service men and women and pray every day for their safe return. we monitor the service and memory of the lance corporal and follow his example of patriotic duty, honor and sacrifice in our daily walk as americans. semper fi, lance corporal. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, for five minutes. mr. mcclintock: thank you, mr. speaker. on june 26, the roadside bomb in iraq claimed the life of a young man from orville, california, army staff sergeant russell jeremiah procter, age 25, on his third tour of combat duty. he was laid to rest last week in silent ceremonies in california. sergeant procter leaves behind
attack in afghanistan. as we grieve the lots of one of our finest citizens and share the grief with his family, we marvel that such heros have lived among us. he gave up everything to protect his neighbors and extend the blessings of freedom to those who have never known it. he was proud to serve his country. in honor of him, we need to thank our service men and women and pray every day for their safe return. we monitor the service and memory of the lance corporal and follow his example of...
77
77
Jul 12, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 77
favorite 0
quote 0
their skills that they're bringing back, they are companies specifically going after returning iraq and afghanistan veterans to be able to hire them. it was interesting, we were talking about drilling and you go into a drilling platform and they say their favorite people to be able to hire are tank drivers returning from the war zone because they're used to driving equipment, looking on a screen and dealing with multiple things all at once. these are folks employing our veterans and they're engaged in providing great jobs. i was on a fracking site, being able to watch it. it's high tech job, people on computers, as well as people in pumping, trucks, people providing food, people providing the equipment, it's people with big wrenches and people with small computers. and you see this multitude of different jobs provided by oil and natural gas and by fossil fuels we're producing right here in america. we are at a moment that we can either say, we want all green jobs, we want to destroy the jobs producing fossil fuels, or we can say, let's do both. let's encourage the growth of green jobs but let's not
their skills that they're bringing back, they are companies specifically going after returning iraq and afghanistan veterans to be able to hire them. it was interesting, we were talking about drilling and you go into a drilling platform and they say their favorite people to be able to hire are tank drivers returning from the war zone because they're used to driving equipment, looking on a screen and dealing with multiple things all at once. these are folks employing our veterans and they're...
139
139
Jul 12, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 139
favorite 0
quote 1
not afghanistan. not al qaeda. but our debt. since january, 2009, $3.7 trillion has been added to the national debt. current our debt stands at $14.3 trillion. and i'm told if you add in the cost, the present day cost of all the promises that irresponsible people who stood here before me have made to the american people, that the cost would be over $70 trillion. many americans, including this one, can't even conceptualize that. can't count that high. and that's not their fault. that's this body's fault. there's a lot of fear mongering going on by people who want us to spend more. they have seen these tactics work in the past. bank bailouts. massive spending bills. even if the calamity forecast was to come to pass, it doesn't change the fact that the debt crisis we face is our fiscal sin. generations before ours and ours are responsible for it. not my kids. not your kids. and not our grandchildren. and if addressing it hurts in the short term, then i say, so be it. i reject the idea that we would pass this mess on to our kids for
not afghanistan. not al qaeda. but our debt. since january, 2009, $3.7 trillion has been added to the national debt. current our debt stands at $14.3 trillion. and i'm told if you add in the cost, the present day cost of all the promises that irresponsible people who stood here before me have made to the american people, that the cost would be over $70 trillion. many americans, including this one, can't even conceptualize that. can't count that high. and that's not their fault. that's this...
104
104
Jul 14, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 104
favorite 0
quote 0
the war in afghanistan based on a misreading of history. half a trillion of dollars in expenses already. the war against libya will be $1 billion by september. 50% of our discretionary spending goes for the pentagon. a massive transfer of wealth into the hands of a few while the american people lack sufficient jobs, health care, housing, retirement security. our energy policies take the wealth from the american people and put it into the hands of the oil companies. we could be looking at $150 a barrel in the near future. our environmental policy takes the wealth of the people, clean air, clean water, and puts it in the hands of the polluters. it's a transfer of wealth. not only from the present but from future generations as our environment is ruined. insurance companies, what do they do? they take the wealth from the american people in terms of what they charge people for health insurance and they put it not -- it into the hands of the few. we have to realize what this country's economy has become. our monetary policy, through the federal
the war in afghanistan based on a misreading of history. half a trillion of dollars in expenses already. the war against libya will be $1 billion by september. 50% of our discretionary spending goes for the pentagon. a massive transfer of wealth into the hands of a few while the american people lack sufficient jobs, health care, housing, retirement security. our energy policies take the wealth from the american people and put it into the hands of the oil companies. we could be looking at $150 a...
69
69
Jul 13, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 69
favorite 0
quote 0
during its nine-year war in afghanistan. public polls are clear, americans know the cost of the war in afghanistan is unsustainable and want us to withdraw as soon as possible. when it comes to cutting back on support for the neediest americans, we can't seem to face the urgent reality that the money that we spend abroad needs to be spent here at home. the financial facts tell the story, taxpayers in my district in seattle have spent $1.1 trillion -- billion for afghanistan war to date. think about that. one city, $1.1 billion. for the same amount of money we could provide health care for 700,000 children from low-income families or put 125,000 kids in head start or health care for 150,000 more veterans. imagine how different it would be if states like wisconsin which faces a $3.6 billion budget deficit did not have to bear the cost of the war in afghanistan. so the question before us is simple, what is our priority? fighting a war with no end? or investing in the american people? the answer lies in what kind of country we a
during its nine-year war in afghanistan. public polls are clear, americans know the cost of the war in afghanistan is unsustainable and want us to withdraw as soon as possible. when it comes to cutting back on support for the neediest americans, we can't seem to face the urgent reality that the money that we spend abroad needs to be spent here at home. the financial facts tell the story, taxpayers in my district in seattle have spent $1.1 trillion -- billion for afghanistan war to date. think...
104
104
Jul 26, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 104
favorite 0
quote 0
brave men and women in uniform who have given their lives in the service of our nation in iraq and afghanistan and their families and of all who serve in our armed forces and their families. the chair: without objection, two-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the request for a railroaded -- vord -- recorded vote on amendment number 2 by the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in house report 112-181, offered by mr. rush of illinois. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. this will be a two-minute vote, followed by a series of additional two-minute votes. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of represent
brave men and women in uniform who have given their lives in the service of our nation in iraq and afghanistan and their families and of all who serve in our armed forces and their families. the chair: without objection, two-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the request for a railroaded -- vord -- recorded vote on amendment number 2 by the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk...
61
61
Jul 22, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 61
favorite 0
quote 0
seniors or putting doubt into the minds of our military while they're dodging bullets in places like afghanistan. we'd have confidence. but instead he says he can't guarantee. mr. speaker, we know he can. we know he can guarantee. we should push that on him out of this house to let him know where we stand, so the american people understand there is a moral standard here. one is, tell the truth. the second moral standard is, pay our military, the other moral standard is guarantee the full faith and credit of the united states government. i laid out the rest of these priorities, mr. speaker and cut, cap, and balance is an important position to stand on. the leverage that's here now must be used or we shirk our responsibility. had the leverage been stronger back in 1995, that extra vote in the senate that i spoke about some minutes ago would have been there, i believe and i believe the balanced budget amendment would have been sent to the states and i believe the states would have ratified it and if that had been part of the constitution the kay i came -- the day i came here in january of 2003 i wo
seniors or putting doubt into the minds of our military while they're dodging bullets in places like afghanistan. we'd have confidence. but instead he says he can't guarantee. mr. speaker, we know he can. we know he can guarantee. we should push that on him out of this house to let him know where we stand, so the american people understand there is a moral standard here. one is, tell the truth. the second moral standard is, pay our military, the other moral standard is guarantee the full faith...
74
74
Jul 14, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 74
favorite 0
quote 0
in afghanistan we spend $325 billion -- million a day and in iraq we've spent about $100 million a day. that's almost $1 billion a day. we're talking about $950 -- almost $1 billion in light rail. we can both be right and smart and compassionate if we do the right thing. in our budgeting process we should have an unexpected fund for unforeseen circumstances, we should have learned from katrina. we're looking at probably about $4 billion in term of army corps of engineers. i think our leaderships need to get together and just say that we can do this without fighting among each other, without making each other wrong. because that's wrong. in the eyes of the public, they want us to do the job that needs to get done and have our leadership do that. and so my plea is that we can be fiscally responsible and we can be compassionate and we do that with good planning and good budgeting process, including having contingency funds that should have been there. and so we have an opportunity right now to show the public that we can do all these things and still come out winners for those who need th
in afghanistan we spend $325 billion -- million a day and in iraq we've spent about $100 million a day. that's almost $1 billion a day. we're talking about $950 -- almost $1 billion in light rail. we can both be right and smart and compassionate if we do the right thing. in our budgeting process we should have an unexpected fund for unforeseen circumstances, we should have learned from katrina. we're looking at probably about $4 billion in term of army corps of engineers. i think our...
62
62
Jul 20, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 62
favorite 0
quote 0
so the iraq war and the afghanistan war. the other thing is this downturn in the economy. the downturn in the economy occurred in 2008. how did it happen, why did we have that crash of the american economy? we had it because the federal government stepped back from regulating the financial institutions, allowing them to run wild, assuming that they would be smart enough to regulate themselves. that didn't happen. they were smart enough to be extraordinarily greedy. wall street went on a greed binge and the result was the collapse of the financial industry. needless to say there were other players in this game and many americans, hundreds of thousands of americans joined in the game and took out mortgages, bought house that there was no way they could possibly afford. the financial industry, the mortgage industry and wall street bankers and we wound up with the great collapse of 2008. to deal with that the bailout of wall street occurred, most of that has now been paid back. it worked. did it work for the benefit of americans? well, it stabilized the financial institutions
so the iraq war and the afghanistan war. the other thing is this downturn in the economy. the downturn in the economy occurred in 2008. how did it happen, why did we have that crash of the american economy? we had it because the federal government stepped back from regulating the financial institutions, allowing them to run wild, assuming that they would be smart enough to regulate themselves. that didn't happen. they were smart enough to be extraordinarily greedy. wall street went on a greed...
83
83
Jul 18, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 83
favorite 0
quote 0
the vast majority have been carried out in so-called tribal areas on the border with afghanistan there. over the years, the number has gone up steadily. the first few years of the strike 2004 to 2007, just a handful, and we see it going up. 2010, under the obama administration, really rising. but a policy never fully publicly articulated. 118 strikes last year. 45 so far this year. pakistanis said a couple of months ago that they wanted to stop here they ordered the cia out of an air base in pakistan were some of the raids have been launched. by my reckoning, there have been a dozen sense, so have these been done like the big law the raid itself against the will of the pakistan government? we do not know for sure, but we do know that our defensive about it, and last month, for example, john brennan tried to allay concerns and talked about new procedure and said that in the past year there have not been a single collateral death because of the exceptional efficiency and provision -- decision of the capabilities they been able to develop. they say no one has been killed. >> so have they
the vast majority have been carried out in so-called tribal areas on the border with afghanistan there. over the years, the number has gone up steadily. the first few years of the strike 2004 to 2007, just a handful, and we see it going up. 2010, under the obama administration, really rising. but a policy never fully publicly articulated. 118 strikes last year. 45 so far this year. pakistanis said a couple of months ago that they wanted to stop here they ordered the cia out of an air base in...
64
64
Jul 11, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 64
favorite 0
quote 0
were it not for kazakhstan, we would not be able to do things militarily to support our troops in afghanistan and iraq. i view this, i think it bears close watching, but there is a perception that somehow we're giving our china, india, brazil and other countries an advantage. i view this program as a two-way street. it does provide a degree of access to american companies and so i would be also reluctant -- i reluctantly oppose your amendment but i can assure you that both of us feel very strongly that it bears watching. it has borne some fruit. mr. frelinghuysen: it's not money wasted, it's not money given away to competitors. thank you for yielding. mr. visclosky: but again, i think it draws attention that we should be closely monitoring these funds. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from fey rise? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. broun: i'd like to yield to dr. harris from maryland. mr. harris: let me briefly address this so we can move on. we only cut $6 million out of the $8 million. there
were it not for kazakhstan, we would not be able to do things militarily to support our troops in afghanistan and iraq. i view this, i think it bears close watching, but there is a perception that somehow we're giving our china, india, brazil and other countries an advantage. i view this program as a two-way street. it does provide a degree of access to american companies and so i would be also reluctant -- i reluctantly oppose your amendment but i can assure you that both of us feel very...
104
104
Jul 28, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 104
favorite 0
quote 0
wonder if the virps -- veterans, 2.2 million who served us with with honor and distinction in iraq and afghanistan would feel that way to draw back on the benefits that they earned. during the bush years our country spent $1.5 trillion in iraq and national defense. the turnaround in our budget picture during the bush years was remarkable. in october of 2008, cnn reported that the debt clock had run out of numbers. the debt clock actually had exceeded 13 digits that had been allotted to the clock and had to be revised. according to one report at the end of the bush term, the number of jobs in the nation increased by 2%. that's the lowest at anytime since data began to be collected seven decades ago. gross domestic product was at the lowest pace since the truman administration, and the price that america has paid for the theology that suggested during all of those years that tax cuts pay for themselves. you can't find a mainstream economist in this town today who will acknowledge that argument. and yet we hear now more tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. by the time that the bush years ended, the
wonder if the virps -- veterans, 2.2 million who served us with with honor and distinction in iraq and afghanistan would feel that way to draw back on the benefits that they earned. during the bush years our country spent $1.5 trillion in iraq and national defense. the turnaround in our budget picture during the bush years was remarkable. in october of 2008, cnn reported that the debt clock had run out of numbers. the debt clock actually had exceeded 13 digits that had been allotted to the...
81
81
Jul 19, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN
tv
eye 81
favorite 0
quote 0
it cut social programs, would get us out of iraq and afghanistan, it would take a serious look out of social security and medicare and in many cases contributing to this deficit. and it would say that those who benefit from ethanol subsidies and oil company tax breaks, the wealthiest people in this country would have to pay a little bit more to pay their fair share. something like that is what should be on the floor here this afternoon because it can pass, the president can sign it and it can solve the fiscal problems of this country or take us in the right direction. but we don't have something like that. instead we have a plan that says the following and puts it in the constitution, the guy who runs an ethanol company who gets massive public subsidies can make profits is completely left alone. he doesn't have to do anything. but for the woman who cleans his office at night is going to have to pay more to go to college, more for health care for herself, her children and her parents and more for just about anything she wants in her life. there's something wrong with that picture. sacr
it cut social programs, would get us out of iraq and afghanistan, it would take a serious look out of social security and medicare and in many cases contributing to this deficit. and it would say that those who benefit from ethanol subsidies and oil company tax breaks, the wealthiest people in this country would have to pay a little bit more to pay their fair share. something like that is what should be on the floor here this afternoon because it can pass, the president can sign it and it can...